That’s exactly what subscribers to new app WeCroak receive – five times a day.
Created by US publicist Hansa Bergwall and developer Ian Thomas, it sends random death-related quotes from poets, philosophers and notable thinkers – some serious, others lighter.
Why?
It’s based a Bhutanese proverb that to be happy, you must contemplate death five times a day.
Users are “encouraged to take one moment for contemplation, conscious breathing or meditation” when their notifications arrive.
The final countdown (literally)
It’s not the first technology to let people ponder their own mortality – the Swedish Tikker Watch estimates your life expectancy and counts down by the second to remind users that “time is your most valuable asset” (what happens if it reaches zero and you’re still kicking?)
WeCroak clearly has fans though. In the UK, it hit the App Store’s top ten ‘Health and Fitness’ apps – ahead of other apps that track your sleep patterns and gym workouts.
A Guardian writer who tested the app said the reminders did make her more aware of life’s smaller pleasures.
But I’m not convinced – most days, what I really need is a reminder that everyone else is going to die too.
